Open Source Harassment Mapping

ROSE Blog: Rikki's Open Source Exchange

Sep 20, 2010 GMT

Rikki Kite

Linda Harrison posted this interesting piece over on TechEYE.net: Open source mapping tech goes global, helps women fight back. Harrison writes that a group in Egypt introduced a service to report street harassment via text message. She says, "If a woman experiences unwanted attention from a man in a public place she simply picks up her mobile and sends a text to HarassMap where it’s reported on a centralised computer. She receives a reply offering support and some practical advice while the information is collated by the group at HarassMap who plot the incident on a publicly-available map and pass their findings on to police."

Harrison also links to similar projects, the LASH campaign and the Hollaback site.